Finding Me in Mum and My Business
At the start of 2018 we made the decison to move interstate from Sydney to Melbourne. We started new schools & Kindies, we lived with my parents, then found a rental home. I think the stress helped me say goodbye to some loucious locks of hair that still haven't grown back.......
Looking back, the juggle was real. I was at my limit and capacity at every turn. I had my son in weird hours at Kinder and it was the first year my daughter went to school. Goodbye long Daycare hours, my days were drastically shortened. I totally lost my confidence at the school gate. I didn't know anyone, I questioned a lot about me and hardly found any time to look after me. It was a tricky year. 2018 was about survival and a huge learning curve for me. I did make friends, I did double my business growth and we did find a beautiful area to live in and bought our very first house.
At the start of 2019 I was still struggling. But I just couldn't work out what was causing this intense sense of anxiety and pressure. I kept bursting into tears and feeling a tightness in my stomach when I woke up in the mornings. In hindsight I can see now that I was being a stay at home Mum plus a full time working Mum all rolled into one. There was absolutely no form of balance.
We had booked Bali for my husbands 40th Birthday in April. The plan was that my parents were going to pack my orders from Melbourne and I was going to run the customer service from Bali. The closer I got to our family holiday, the more filled with dread I became. I realised how much of my time is spent on Customers Service, which is really important to me. That's when the penny dropped, it wasn't going to be much of a holiday if I'd be worrying and working 50% of the time.
I reached out to Susie my friend who worked with me before we were both made redundant together. She had started and was running a successful VA business. Making the decision and asking for help 6 weeks before I was due to go away was the best decision I have ever made in my business. Susie covered me like a pro that she is. So much so, I couldn't give her up when I returned.
Since April, my parents work with me on Mondays. They help me wrap orders from the weekend and set me up for the week ahead. I have Emma work with me another day in the week pre packing many of my best selling boxes. Susie is my customer service angel. She puts on her investigating hat and finds those parcels that go walk about in hospitals or hidden by the postman!
I can now look after me too! I love exercise classes and go to Pilates, Zumba, Step and my favourite - a beach walk on a Tuesday evening. I'm lucky to say my business has doubled in growth again from last year and I can faithfully say it's because I have now built an amazing team around me.
I know it's not the end of the year yet but I can't help to reflect now because the difference is so great. I hope from reading this, it might prompt you to make a change and ask for help. Doing it all is not all it's cracked up to be!
Sarah x